


I Have Something To Believe In

by LonelyThursday



Series: What Was Ours Still Will Be [4]
Category: Newsies - All Media Types, Newsies!: the Musical - Fierstein/Menken
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Established Relationship, Hospitals, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Modern Era, Nurse!Elmer, Past Child Abuse, Polyamory, Soulmates, Spot isn't great at feelings, Trans Male Character, Trans Male Pregnancy, Trans Racetrack Higgins, Unplanned Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-19
Updated: 2020-11-16
Packaged: 2021-02-25 23:02:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,862
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21863410
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LonelyThursday/pseuds/LonelyThursday
Summary: The thing that really tips Race off, is listening to Katherine talk about her pregnancy. He’d been feeling sick recently, but he’d chalked it up to stress from his new job or just a stomach bug, but after listening to Katherine talk about how she learned she was pregnant, Race starts to wonder if he’s really sick at all.Now he’s sitting on the couch his apartment, staring at a CVS bag with three different pregnancy test from three different brands in it.Race stares at the pregnancy tests for what feels like hours, before finally snatching up the bag and marching into the bathroom. Better get this over with, it’s not like waiting would make him any less pregnant.It could make him more pregnant though.That’s a problem for later. Right now, all Race has to do is pee on three sticks. He’ll worry about what comes next afterwards.The next five minutes are the longest of Race’s life.You should probably read And If I'm Gone Tomorrow first, but the other two fics are optional
Relationships: Crutchie/Finch (Newsies), David Jacobs/Jack Kelly/Katherine Plumber, Spot Conlon/Albert DaSilva/Elmer (Newsies)/Racetrack Higgins
Series: What Was Ours Still Will Be [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1454878
Comments: 48
Kudos: 133





	1. Unplanned Pregnancy

**Author's Note:**

> me: ok, let's using winter break to write a new chapter for Maybe It's Magic. Maybe It's You  
> my brain: ok, but what if Race was pregnant?  
> me: ... go on

The thing that really tips Race off, is listening to Katherine talk about her pregnancy. His period’s late, but Race’s period had never been very consistent or very heavy, so he hadn’t thought anything of it. He’d been feeling sick recently, but he’d chalked it up to stress from his new job or just a stomach bug, but after listening to Katherine talk about how she learned she was pregnant, Race starts to wonder if he’s really sick at all. 

After his conversation with Katherine - where he never mentioned his hunch - he heads home in a daze. When he comes to, he’s sitting on the couch in the apartment he shares with his three soulmates, staring at the coffee table. He doesn't remember going to CVS, but he must have, because there, on the coffee table, is a CVS bag with three different pregnancy test from three different brands in it. 

Race stares at the pregnancy tests for what feels like hours, before finally snatching up the bag and marching into the bathroom. Better get this over with, it’s not like waiting would make him any less pregnant. 

It could make him more pregnant though. 

That’s a problem for later. Right now, all Race has to do is pee on three sticks. He’ll worry about what comes next afterwards. 

The next five minutes are the longest of Race’s life. 

Elmer was in the middle of accompanying Mush on his rounds when Buttons comes to tell him that Race is looking for him. 

“What’s he done to hurt himself this time?” Mush asks with an amused smirk. Everyone on the hospital staff is used to one or more of Elmer’s soulmates showing up randomly with some bizarre injury that they got because, despite Elmer’s best efforts (and Spot’s own denial), all three of them are hopelessly unable to back down from a dare. 

“He didn’t seem hurt,” Buttons answers, taking the chart out of Elmer’s hands. “Just a little jumpy.”

“He’s probably just here to plan Spot’s birthday or something.” Elmer responds. “Thanks, B.”

“No prob, El,” Buttons shoos the younger man off with a wave of her hand. “Go talk to your man.”

Elmer finds Race in the waiting room, looking jittery. Race jumps to his feet as soon as he spots Elmer, rushing to meet his soulmate in the middle. 

“Hey, Racer!” Elmer says cheerfully despite that something’s obviously wrong. “What’s-“

Race quickly shoves a Ziploc bag into Elmer’s hands. 

“-up? What’s this?”

“A pregnancy test,” Race whispers so quietly, Elmer’s not even sure he heard correctly. 

“A preg-“ Elmer looks at the positive test in his hand. “Oh.”

Race nods. 

_“Oh.”_

“Heh, yeah. I was- I was hoping that I could- I mean, pregnancy tests are often wrong, right? And so I thought…”

“You want to get a blood test?” Elmer asks. Race nods, looking a cross between hopeful and miserable. “Ok. Yeah, ok. C’mon, I’ll find someone to do the test. Henry?”

“There,” Henry says, taping gauze over Race’s puncture wound. “That should do it. I’ll send these up to the lab, and let you know when the results come back.”

“Thanks, Henry.” Elmer takes Race’s hand and leads him out of the room. “C’mon, Race, it’s my lunch break, and I’m starving.”

“Ok,” Race whispers, still stunned. 

“And I think we need to talk.” Elmer says as they leave the hospital and head towards the park. 

“‘Bout what?” Race mutters. Elmer stops dead in his tracks in the middle of the sidewalk. 

“Race,” Elmer faces his soulmate, hands resting on his shoulders. “Look at me,” Race finally lifts his head to look Elmer in the eye. “Antonio, if you _are_ really pregnant, what do you want to do?”

“Whaddaya mean?”

“Well, it’s your body, Race, do you want - or rather, _would_ you want - to go through with a pregnancy?”

“Oh,” Race looks bewildered, so Elmer leads him to sit on a park bench. 

“Do you think you’d want to go through with a pregnancy?” Elmer asks again, slower. 

“I don’t know,” Race admits. 

“That’s ok, you don’t have to decide right now. How about a different question: do you want kids?”

“Yes of course I want kids.” Race replies incredulously. “We’ve talked about this, El.”

“I know, I know. So then we’re back to: do you want to carry the baby?” Race looks unsure so Elmer presses on. “Cuz there are other ways to get kids, you know. We could adopt, or if we want kids with our genes then we could get a surrogate. We could even mix your eggs with one of our sperm and get a surrogate to carry it. Or we could-“

“Thanks, El, I think I got it,” Race interrupts before Elmer can overwhelm him with more information. 

“I just wanted to make sure you know that you don’t have to go through with this if you don’t want to.”

“I know. Thank you.”

Elmer nods and the two lapse into silence. It’s a warm spring day, and the sun warms them as they sit quietly on the park bench, content to watch the world go by for a while. 

“Well, I’m starving!” Race declares suddenly. “Let’s get some grub before you have to get back to work.”

They spend lunch in almost total silence. Race is contemplating if he wants to grow a fetus inside him, if he wants to give _birth._ It’s a lot for him to think about. 

Elmer is, against his better judgement, imagining about the four of them raising a kid together. A kid with Albert’s bright red hair and Race’s curls, or one with Spot’s freckles and Race’s smile, or Elmer’s dimples and Race’s bright blue eyes. They could convert their spare bedroom into a nursery, or maybe they could get a bigger place closer to a park, somewhere nice for their kid to play, with a good school nearby. They’d need a new car; they’re already pretty squished in Spot’s muscle car, they’d never be able to fit the four of them _and_ a car seat. Maybe they could get a minivan, and then they’d…

_Slow your rolls, Elmer, you don’t know if Race is going to keep the fetus yet._

Elmer really wants a kid, but he’d never try to convince Race to keep the fetus if he didn’t want to. And last time they had all discussed the subject of children, both Spot and Albert had been… less than enthusiastic. Elmer has thought that he and Race would have a few years to get them to come around, but now it’s a very real possibility that they’ll have to get used to the idea sooner rather than later. 

Maybe. 

Hopefully. 

_Man,_ Elmer _really_ wants to have a kid. 

Lunch ends as quietly as it began, and Race accompanies Elmer back to the hospital, deciding to just wait there for the test results, rather than return to an empty apartment. 

After a couple hours of Race playing games on his phone in the waiting room and Elmer coming to check on him every so often to make sure he hasn’t started a fire in the hospital - _which only happened once, El. God, just let it go already!_ \- Henry finally returns with the lab results. 

_Oh god, here we go._

The tests came back positive. 

  
  


Race is pregnant. 

  
  
  


Oh _god._


	2. Established Relationship

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Race tells Spot and Albert about his pregnancy

_Oh god_

_Oh no_

_Oh god_

_Oh god_

_Oh no_

“Oh god, oh god, oh no, oh no, oh-“

“Race,” Elmer stands from the couch and catches Race’s hands in his own. He’s been watching Race pace back and forth across their living room for close to an hour, and while he had hoped that Race would calm down eventually on his own, that’s clearly not going to happen. 

It’s been a little over a week since Race’s positive pregnancy tests, and he’s been _freaking out._ So much so that Elmer is certain that if Albert and Spot had been around more, they would have noticed, but as luck would have it, they’ve both been working late. Albert’s had a show every night of the week, and has been getting home late enough afterwards that he just falls into bed and is dead asleep within moments, waking up right before Race leaves for his own job, thus leaving no time for Albert to notice how jittery he’s been, or the lack of coffee he’s consumed. 

It’s been a little harder to hide from Spot, since Spot has closer to the same work schedule as Race, but Medda’s children’s theater is having their spring show in just a couple of weeks and Spot’s been building sets for them after work. Usually Medda has Jack and Spot both working, but with Katherine so far along in her pregnancy, and Davey having to work late more often than not, Spot’s taken on a bulk of the work (he’d tried to get Mike and Ike to help, but they’d almost started a fire, and were promptly banned from using power tools… or hand tools… or paint… … that had been a long day for Spot). So, while Spot did wake up around the same time as Race, he was constantly exhausted, and drinking more than enough coffee for the both of them. 

The real mystery – for Elmer, anyway – is that neither of them had noticed Race’s horse’s constant nervous pacing. The pacing made Elmer’s arm itch, personally, but maybe Spot and Albert hadn’t been giving the itch any thought, or maybe Elmer only noticed the itch because he _knew…_

But either way, today is the day. 

Today, Race tells Albert and Spot about his pregnancy. Albert’s got tonight off, and Smalls has spring break (which she’s graciously using to help Medda with sets and give Spot a much needed break), so Spot has the night off as well. 

Elmer understands Race’s nerves, of course he does, when they’d talked about babies in the past, neither Spot nor Albert had been that enthusiastic. Spot thought that it was too soon, and Albert… well, Elmer’s not really sure what Albert exact stance is, but he’d probably prefer “we’ll never have kids” to “your soulmate is pregnant right now and wants to keep the kid”. 

And Race _does_ want to keep the kid. They’ve talked about it extensively, and Race definitely wants to go through with the pregnancy… even if that means losing a soulmate or two. 

Hopefully it won’t come to that, but Elmer knows that Race needs to know exactly where he stands _before_ they have this conversation with the other two. And if it does come to that… well, plenty of kids only have two parents. Hell, plenty of kids have _one_ parent. Between Race and Elmer, they can raise a kid. 

But hopefully… 

Hopefully it won’t be just Race and Elmer. 

“Deep breath,” Elmer commands, taking his own breath as an example. “It’s going to be fine, I promise. Whatever happens, we’ll be fine.”

“I don’t want them to leave,” Race whispers, desperately fighting tears. “I’ve been with Spotty for so long, and I’ve been looking for Albie for even longer and… what if they leave?”

“If they leave, then we deal with it, but they won’t leave,” Elmer lets go of one of Race’s hands in order to wipe tears from his soulmate’s cheeks. “They love us too much to leave.”

Race continues to sniffle, but he nods. Elmer’s right, Spot and Albert definitely love them, and maybe that’s enough. 

Before Race can vocally reply, the apartment door opens to reveal the two soulmates in question, carrying four boxes of pizza from Race’s cousin’s pizzeria down the street. 

“We’re back!” Albert yells loudly, even though he can clearly see the other two a mere few feet from him. “What’s wrong?”

Albert’s mood goes from cheerful to concerned instantly when he sees the tear tracks on Race’s face. 

Spot closes the door and immediately pulls Race into a hug, not even taking his coat or shoes off first. “What happened, Racer? Who do I have to kill?”

“No one, it’s nothing I just-“ Race pulls out of the embrace and takes a steadying breath. “I have to talk to you both. I have something to tell you.”

“What is it?” Albert asks, still standing by the door with four pizza boxes in his hands. 

“Maybe you should both sit down,” Elmer suggests, gingerly taking the pizzas from Albert and setting them on the coffee table. Spot and Albert both apprehensively take a seat

“Ton-“

“I’m pregnant!” Race blurts out. He doesn’t give either soulmate a chance to answer as he barrels on. “I’m pregnant, and I have a fetus in my uterus, and it’s about the size of a raspberry, and I want to keep it, and I have an ultrasound next week, and I want to be a dad!”

Silence rings out through the apartment. Race looks frantically between Albert and Spot, looking for some sort of reaction. 

Albert’s staring at Race with large, frightened eyes, his gaze occasionally flicking quickly over Elmer and Spot, but for the most part he’s staring at Race. 

Spot, on the other hand, has gone completely blank, his face and body language completely unreadable as he stares blankly at the pizza boxes. Then, without a word, he gets up and walks straight into the guest bedroom, slamming the door behind him

Tension builds in the living room, and less than a minute later, Albert gets up and sprints out of the apartment. 

“Albert!” Elmer tries to run after the ginger, but is slowed down by the door slamming shut, and by the time he gets to the hallway, Albert’s gone, and with elevators at either end of the building, Elmer elects to comfort Race rather than try to chase Albert. 

Race is curled in on himself on the couch, sobbing uncontrollably. He knew it. He knew they would leave, but he still wasn’t ready for it. _Damnit!_

“Race,” Elmer says gently, laying a comforting hand on Race’s shoulder and kneeling on the floor in front of him. “Tony, it’s going to be okay. I promise it’s going to be okay.”

“They _left,”_ Race sobs, curling up even tighter. “They- they- they- they-“

“Shh, shh.” Elmer rubs his hand up and down Race’s back, hoping to ground him. “They just need time. It’s a lot to take in, they need time.”

Race doesn’t reply, and the two of them sit there, Race crying, and Elmer rubbing his back, until Race’s sobs subside into the occasional hiccup. Once Race has calmed down enough, Elmer grabs the ignored pizza boxes and shove them in the fridge. He doubts that anyone will feel like eating tonight. 

When Elmer returns to the living room, Race is asleep on the couch. Unwilling to leave him there, and unwilling to wake him, Elmer tucks one arm around the taller man’s back, and one under his legs to carry him to bed. Sleep is good, everything will be better after a night of sleep. 

Maybe. 

Elmer places Race near the center of their bed, before heading to the bathroom to pee and brush his teeth. 

He checks his soulmarks in the mirror. Race’s horse is sleeping near his shoulder, Spot’s pitbull is pacing methodically along his arm, and Albert’s armadillo is curled in a ball on his hip. It looks so much like when Albert was in a coma...

Race hasn’t moved when Elmer returns to the bedroom. Elmer sits next to him on the edge of the bed and pulls out his phone to send a quick text to Albert. 

**From Elmer to Albie:**   
_I know that this is a lot to process, and I understand your reaction, but can you just text me to let me know that you’re alright?_

Elmer hits _send_ and waits for a reply. 

He’s not usually one to keep constant tabs on his soulmates, but he doubts that Albert’s in the best state of mind right now, and he just wants to make sure that the ginger is alright. He hates to think of Albert wandering the city, alone, at night, in distress. 

After over an hour with no response, Elmer sends another text. An hour later, he sends a third, this one to Jack, Davey, Katherine, Crutchie, Finch, Jojo, and Medda. 

**From Elmer:**   
_If you see Albert will you let me know. It’s nothing serious, and you don’t need to make him do anything, or tell me what he’s doing._   
_Just if you see him let me know_

His phone buzzes with a new message. 

**From Jack:**   
_Is everything ok?_

**From Elmer:**   
_I don’t know_

**From Finch:**   
_He hasn’t been to mine and Crutchie’s but if I hear from him I’ll let you know_

Within the hour, everyone’s replied. No one’s seen or heard from Albert, but if they do, they’ll let him know. 

All Elmer can do is wait, and be here for Race. 

Another twenty minutes pass, the alarm clock on the bedside table reads 12:47am, and the door to the bedroom finally creaks open. 

Spot enters the room as quietly as possible, shucks his pants and shirt off, and climbs on the bed in just his boxers. 

“Spot?” Elmer whispers. Spot grunts quietly in acknowledgement, but doesn’t do anything more in the way of a reply, just crawls under the covers and turns his back to his soulmates, sleeping as close to the edge of the bed as he can. 

Elmer feels his heart sink at the lack of… anything really. His soulmate has given him the bare minimum of response, and is choosing to sleep as far away from him and Race as possible while still occupying the same bed. 

_At least Spot is here._

The thought turns Elmer’s blood to ice, and when Spot’s breathing evens out another twenty minutes later, he pulls out his phone to send another text. 

**From Elmer to Albie:**   
_Please Albie_   
_All I want is to know you’re ok_

**From Elmer to Albie:**   
_Please_

And then, for the first time that night, Elmer allows himself to cry. 


	3. Past Child Abuse

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What Albert does after he leaves the apartment

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter has references to past child abuse, but it's nothing graphic  
> Also there is a therapist and it should be noted that I'm not a psychologist, or in any way qualified to help people with trauma, and I've never been to a therapist (other than when I was five, but that wasn't for trauma or anything)
> 
> (also I've decided to change the chapter titles to different tags that I put on the fic

Albert panics. 

Just straight up panics. 

Honestly, everything after Race saying ‘I’m pregnant’ is a blur, and he’s really not sure how he ended up on the roof, but right now, his only priority is calming down. 

What was that technique his therapist taught him?

Oh yeah, five things he can see - _the sky, the cheap patio furniture someone brought up here a few years ago, the community rooftop garden, the neighboring buildings, the old empty messenger pigeon coop_ \- four things he can feel - _the rough wood of the planter box, the weight of his phone in his hoodie pocket, his armadillo socks that Race bought him as a joke, the smooth plastic of a lawn chair_ \- three things he can hear - _traffic from the street below, the dim hum from the light by the door, his own harsh breathing_ \- two things he can smell - _mint from the garden, the lingering scent of the pizzas sticking to his clothes_ \- one thing he can taste - _blood from unconsciously chewing on his own lip_ \- and deep breath. 

Albert feels a considerable amount of stress leave his body with the exhale, and he collapses into one of the patio chairs. 

_A father_

_He’s going to be a FATHER_

_Race is pregnant, and he’s one of the_ fathers!

_He might even be_ THE _father_

_Jesus_ Christ. 

Before he can work himself into another panic attack, he pulls out his phone and dials his therapist, not bothering to check any other notifications. He can’t handle those right now. 

It isn’t until the phone is ringing, that it occurs to him that he has no idea what time it is. He and Spot had picked up the pizzas at about 7:15, and while he doesn’t know how long he’d been freaking out for, but it’s definitely late either way. 

Albert doesn’t get any time to feel bad about calling so late before Joey is picking up. 

_“Albert?”_ She sounds tired, but not groggy enough to suggest that Albert had woken her up. 

“H-hey, Joey,” Albert stutters, feeling bad for disturbing her so late. “I- uh, I’m sorry it’s so late, I can call back tomorrow if that’s-“

_“No!”_ Joey cuts him off quickly. _“I mean, no, if something’s bothering you, we can talk about it now. Are you okay?”_

“Physically? Yeah, but mentally… I don’t know. I just- I don’t know how to…” Albert groans, he doesn’t even know enough of how he feels to even _begin_ to tell Joey. 

_“Okay, well that’s not a lot to work with. Why don’t you tell me what happened, and I’ll help you work out how you feel afterwards, sound good?”_

“Yeah, yeah, okay. So, um, you know Race? One of my soulmates?”

_“Yes, I know Race. Is he okay?”_

“Yes- I mean no- no, I mean yes- I mean… you know how Race has a uterus?” _God, Albert, just spit it out!_

_“Ah, I think I know where this is going.”_

“Yeah…”

_“Race is pregnant.”_

“Yeah.”

_“Is he keeping it?”_

“Yeah.”

_“And that scares you.”_

“... yeah.” _Can’t you say anything else?_

_“Albert, it’s okay if fatherhood scares you, the important part is that you communicate with your soulmates. You’re not alone in this.”_

“I know, it’s just…”

_“Just what?”_

“...” Suddenly Albert feels very dumb. He’s sitting on a lawn chair, on the roof, late at night, talking to his therapist over the phone because he can’t handle something as simple as a pregnancy. It’s not even a baby yet! It’s just the beginnings of a baby!

It’s not like he’s never seen a baby before. All of his soulmates have multiple siblings, some of which have kids, so he’s seen a baby before. Hell, he’s _held_ a baby before!

But this is different. This is _his_ baby. 

He actually has to _raise_ this one, has to be there for all the dirty diapers, all the birthday parties, all the lost teeth, and the tantrums, and the bruises, the bedtime stories, the meals, the actual _raising of the child!_

He’s going to fuck it up. It’s inevitable. 

It’s all his parents ever taught him. 

And he _knew_ that Race and Elmer wanted kids. He should have brought this up with Joey _weeks_ ago, back when it wasn’t a reality, back when it was just an _idea._

_“C’mon, Albo,”_ Joey sighs. _“I can't help you if you don’t talk to me, I’m not a mind reader.”_

“Sometimes feels like you are,” Albert mutters petulantly, causing Joey to laugh.

_“I’m good at reading people, I’ll give you that, but I can’t read you if I can’t see you.”_

“Yeah, yeah. It’s just… my parents sucked, ya know, and I don’t…”

_“You’re not your parents, Al-“_

“I KNOW THAT!” Albert yells. “Sorry. ‘M sorry, Joe. I shouldn’t have yelled.”

_“No, you shouldn’t have, but I understand you’re stressed.”_

“I know I’m not my parents, but I just… I dunno, it’s like they’re still haunting me, or something. Like, how am I supposed to be a parent if I can’t get over my own?”

_“Hmm… Al, when’s the last time you talked to your parents?”_

“The day before my 18th birthday, I left as soon as I could.”

_“I know you’re going to hate this, Al, but maybe you need to talk to them-“_

“NO!”

_“I think you need closure. You need to stand up to them, tell them that they were shitty parents.”_

“Joey-“

_“Look, I can’t make you do anything you don’t want to, and you don’t even have to do it in person if you don’t want to, but just think about it, okay?”_

“...okay.”

_“Yay! Thank you. Now I have to go, Raf is waking up, and she’s always super cuddly in the middle of the night… don’t tell her I told you that.”_

“Mums the word,” Albert promises. “Thanks for talking to me, Joey. Sorry for calling so late.”

_“No prob, Al. Feel free to call me in the morning if you still need to talk, okay? Oh, and talk to your boys, I’m sure they’re worried about you.”_

“I will, thanks Joe.” Albert hangs up and sighs. Checking them time, he finds that it’s nearly midnight, and while the days are getting warmer, the night isn’t quite warm enough for his current attire - basketball shorts and a sleeveless hoodie - and the cold is starting to catch up with him. 

Albert looks at the door to the building for a moment, considering whether or not to go back in, before deciding that he’s not ready yet. Instead, he heads into the greenhouse that’s set up for pickier plants - he’ll be warm enough in there. 

Joey’s words continue to echo through his head. Maybe he should talk to his parents. 

On the one hand, he _does_ want to tell they exactly what he thinks of them, wants to say everything he’d never said when he was living with them. On the other hand, he _doesn’t_ want to hear their response, he doesn’t think he can handle having their degrading comments and backhanded compliments added on to his own anxieties.

Looking back at his phone, it’s pretty late, and the chances of his parents answering the phone is pretty slim… 

Without giving himself a chance to chicken out - or even think - he dials his parents’ old home phone, both hoping that they still have the number, and that they don’t. 

The phone rings

And rings

And _rings_

_“You’ve reached the DaSilvas,”_ Albert flinches at his mother’s voice, even if it _is_ just a recording - the same recording it was when he lived there. _“We can’t make it to the phone right now, leave a message after the beep.”_

**_BEEEEEEEP_ **

_Deep breath_

“Mom, dad, it’s Albert. I have something to get off my chest…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this was originally going to be longer, but I decided that the rest of it works better as part of the next chapter
> 
> and yes, Joey and Rafaela are soulmates


	4. Hurt/Comfort

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Race is stressed, but things are starting to look up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wha- six months? No it hasn't been six months. Are you sure? I don't think that's right.  
> K so I wrote like half a chapter, and then I hated it, so then I walked away for a while, and then I'm like 'hey just change the perspective!' and here we are

Consciousness comes slowly to Race. It settles over him like a nice blanket: gentle and warm. 

He doesn’t open his eyes, not yet, choosing instead to relish the warm pair of arms wrapped around his stomach. It’s so much nicer to relax into those arms than it is to remember…

His eyes snap open. Right, yesterday. Spot shutting down. Albert leaving. Not good. 

The only thing that keeps Race from crying immediately is the startling realization that Elmer is sleeping a few inches in front of him. 

Not cuddled up behind him. Not holding him. 

Race turns his head the best he can without moving too much, and manages to catch a glimpse of black hair. 

_Oh. It’s Spot._

Considering the events of the previous night, Race would have thought that Spot would have slept on the perfectly functional bed in the guest room. He’d fully expected that he’d wake up in their king size bed with just Elmer. 

Race shifts in Spot’s hold so he can angle himself to see the other side of the bed, hoping to see a familiar mop of red hair. No such luck. The other side of the bed is empty. Tears fight their way to Race’s eyes, but he forces them back. Spot’s in bed. Spot’s cuddling him. That’s more than he’d expected… 

Still, he couldn’t help hoping for more, hoping to go back to the way they were _before._

_Before I was pregnant because hOLY SHIT I'M PREGNANT!_

The realization hits Race at _least_ once a day. It’s a trippy thought, there’s a thing growing inside of him that will one day be a person (even if it’s currently just a glorified parasite), and he’s going to have to push that person out of his _vagina!_

_Is that right? That’s right, right? The baby comes out of the vagina?_

Jesus Christ he’s not ready for this, he doesn’t even know where the baby comes from. 

_It has to be the vagina, right?_ There’s only two options down there - three if you’re being technical, but there’s no way a baby is coming out of _that_ \- and he can rule one of them out with absolute certainty. 

Race is startled out of his circular thoughts by an alarm going off, making him jump. Spot shifts behind him. He releases his hold on Race in order to turn the alarm off. 

“Sorry,” he whispers gruffly, kissing the back of Race’s neck in apology before fully releasing him and getting off the bed. “Go back to sleep.”

Race sits up in time to see Spot head into the ensuite with a pile of clean clothes. The door closes, and moments later the shower starts up. 

He gets up anyway, it’s not like the alarm had woken him. Race considers what to eat on the way to the kitchen, and what he really wants is a pickle/banana/chocolate smoothie, though whether that’s from pregnancy cravings, or from just liking to eat weird foods, he’s not entirely certain. 

He halfway through filling the blender when something makes him stop. 

Maybe he’s paranoid, but there’s something in his mind telling him that someone is outside his apartment door. 

Carefully, Race grabs a knife from the knife block and creeps towards the door. He looks out the peephole, but there’s nothing there. He leans away from the door, hoping that that was enough to settle his nerves.

No such luck.

He has to open the door. 

Race takes a deep breath, grips the knife tighter, and yanks the door open. 

The door opens faster than he thought it would, and is quickly followed by a _bang!_ as something hits the floor. Hard. 

A cold rush of adrenaline floods Race’s system before he realizes what just hit the floor. Or rather, _who_ just hit the floor. 

Albert blinks up at him, stunned from his fall. 

“What the _fuck!”_ Race screeches from shock more than anything. “Are you okay?”

Albert blinks again before seeming to process the question. “Oh, yeah, ‘m okay. I kinda… locked myself out last night.”

Race bends down to carefully maneuver Albert up into a sitting position against the door frame. “Stay here, I’ll go get the first-aid kit.”

Elmer always makes sure to keep more than enough first-aid supplies stocked in their apartment. He keeps one fully stocked - one might even say _over_ -stocked - kit in the kitchen and one in the bathroom, as well as having more rudimentary kits in the living room and both bedrooms. Race grabs the one from the kitchen since it has a mini flashlight he can use to check Albert for a concussion. 

“Did you sleep in the hallway?” He asks as he kneels next to Albert with the kit. He digs around for a second before he finds the flashlight. 

“Nah,” Albert responds, flinching when Race shines the flashlight in his eyes. His pupils dilate accordingly, _probably not concussed then._ “I went to the roof, and without my keys I couldn’t get back inside.”

“You slept on the roof!? Jesus, why didn’t you call?” Race asks, dragging Albert fully inside the apartment and depositing him on the couch. 

“Phone died,” Albert answers simply, staring at the ground. “...listen, I’m really _really_ sorry about leaving last night. I know it was shitty of me to leave like that, and you probably don’t want to hear excuses, but I just… I kinda freaked. I mean, we’re gonna have a kid, and we have to raise it and stuff, and…”

Race watches Albert patiently, whatever he’s going to say, he’ll say it in his own time. 

“I called Joey last night, and I know I should have talked to her about kids sooner, but I just kept putting it off… I’m afraid of being a parent. I’m afraid of being shitty and fucking a kid up for the rest of their lives. I’m afraid of being like my parents. I’m-“

Albert cuts himself off with a sob, and Race finally sinks onto the couch with him, wrapping a comforting arm over his shoulder. 

“I’m sorry I ran out. I should have stayed and talked to you, and Elmer, but I was freaked out about the whole baby thing, and then Spot slammed that door, and suddenly I was a kid again, hiding from all the yelling in my closet, and I just had to get away. ‘M sorry.”

“It’s alright,” Race says, rubbing his hand along Albert’s arm comfortingly. “You were scared and needed time to process. I understand. I wish you could have included us in your processing method, but I think you did a really good job.”

“I should have come back sooner,” Albert mumbles. 

“You got locked out,” Race replies, kissing the side of his head. 

“I should have called.”

“Your phone died.”

“I shouldn’t have left.

“You were having a panic attack and removed yourself from a potentially triggering situation.”

“I upset you.”

“You did, but I understand why you left, and I forgive you,” Race punctuates his statement with another kiss, this one on Albert’s cheek. It’s been a stressful couple weeks leading up to last night’s breaking point. They’re definitely going to need to talk about this more, all four of them, but for now, the important part is that Albert came back. 

“I don’t deserve you.”

“Now that’s just ridiculous,” Race scoffs. “You deserve the world.”

Albert leans into Race’s embrace, trying to hide his embarrassment in his shoulder. “Hey Tony?”

“Hmm?”

“I’m still a little scared of being a parent, but I’m also excited to raise a kid with you and El and Spot.”

“You’re gonna make such a great parent,” Race smiles to himself, finally allowing his mind to picture the four of them raising a child together. 

They’d need a new car so that the four of them and a baby would be able to fit comfortably. Spot would become even more of a worrywart than he currently is. Albert would sneak the kid snacks before dinner behind Elmer’s back. Elmer would hang all of their drawings on the fridge, and when the fridge eventually ran out of space, he’d begin to stick them on the kitchen cabinets. 

God, just _thinking_ about it made Race’s insides go all gooey. 

“Our kid is going to love you,” he continues. “And you won’t be anything like your parents, you’ll be loving and supportive, and if we fuck this kid up then it’s definitely gonna be a team effort. This kid is _never_ going to hide under the jungle gym because they’re afraid of going home. They’re going to hide under the jungle gym because they’re playing hide-n-seek.”

“I love you,” Albert murmurs into his shoulder. 

“I love you too.” Race hums happily. 

The bedroom door opens. Spot emerges, fully dressed with just his hair still damp. Albert hums questioningly, reluctant to remove himself from Race. 

“‘Morning, Spot,” Race greets as an answer to Albert’s unspoken question. 

Spot grunts, heading straight for the coffee maker. The three of them are quiet for a few minutes, with the only sounds being the ticking of the wall clock, and the gurgling noise of the coffee maker. 

“Race?” Spot breaks the silence eventually. “What the hell is in the blender?”

“My smoothie!” Race gasps, jumping up and sprinting the short distance to the kitchen. Albert follows him reluctantly. 

“You are _not_ drinking that,” Spot says as Race starts blending. 

“I am, ya want some, Al?”

Albert shrugs. “Sure.”

“Do you even know what’s in it?” Spot asks incredulously. 

Once again, Albert shrugs. And when Race hands him a glass of the smoothie, he drinks half of it in one go. Spot looks nauseous. 

“It’s missing something,” Race comments, sipping his slowly, consideringly. 

Albert takes another gulp. “Garlic, spinach, and Swedish fish.”

“YES!” Race yells. He immediately begins scouring the cabinets for the candy fish. 

“What the _fuck?”_ Spot whispers under his breath. 

“Why don’t we keep a constant supply of Swedish fish around?” Race demands, not finding any. 

“Because we're adults?” Spot answers. 

“Ridiculous.”

“Absurd.”

“Why do I love you two?” Spot asks himself quietly, before returning to normal volume. “I have to go, I have work.”

“But it’s your day off,” Race says, gut sinking. He should have known better. Just because Spot sleeps in their bed and kisses him in the morning doesn’t mean he isn’t trying to distance himself. 

“It’s a special project,” Spot answers, somewhat cryptically, already heading out the door. “I’ll be back later.”

He doesn’t slam the door. He closes it like he normally would. But it still feels very final. And Race is suddenly worried that he won’t be coming back. 

“I should charge my phone,” Albert says to himself, obviously not feeling the dread Race is. 

It’s fine. He probably just imagined it. Albert doesn’t seem concerned about whether or not Spot’s coming back. _He’ll come back, he always comes back after a fight._

This wasn’t a fight though. Or at least, it wasn’t like any of their other fights. Race doesn’t know what to think. 

_“FUCK!”_ Albert drops his phone, he looks scared. Race immediately snaps out of his thoughts and into action. 

“What? What’s wrong?”

“I, uh, um… I called my parents last night, and they called back.” Albert’s breathing speeds up. “They called back while my phone was dead. Oh my god my phone was dead and there are so many notifications. I-“

“Hey,” Race physically places himself between Albert and his phone. “It’s okay. I can look at your notifications if you want, tell you if there’s anything important.”

“Okay,” Albert sighs. Race picks up the phone and looks through the notifications. 

“Let’s see, there are four texts from Elmer,” Race says. “All from last night, and all asking if you’re okay. And then El must have texted Finch, Jojo, and Jack cuz they all asked if you’re okay too. Finch called you twice last night and left one voicemail, and then your parents called you once this morning. So you just worry about Elmer, I’ll let the others know you’re okay, and we’ll ignore your parents for as long as we can, okay?”

“Yeah, that sounds good. Um… my parents didn’t leave a voicemail?” Race shakes his head ‘no’ and tension leaks out of Albert’s shoulders. “Okay… okay good. They didn’t leave a voicemail, that’s good.”

“Can I ask why you called your parents?” Race asks tentatively. He _knows_ Albert’s been avoiding them for almost ten years, and he doesn’t really understand why he’d call them now. 

Albert shakes his head a little. “I don’t want to talk about it right now. I’ll tell you later, but not right now.”

“Okay, we’ll talk about it later,” Race smiles, drawing Albert into a hug. “Whaddaya say, right now, we go cuddle with Elmer until he wakes up? He was real concerned about you last night.”

“Yeah, okay.”

They end up having to carefully push Elmer closer to the center of the bed so that they can get on either side of him, but he doesn’t wake up, so Race counts it as a win. 

“Hey Race?” Albert whispers once they’re settled on the bed. 

“Yeah?” 

Albert snakes a hand over Elmer to grab one of Race’s. “Thank you.”

“For what?”

“Being you,” Albert answers, already starting to nod off. “You deserve the world too.”

Race’s heart swells. _God I love this idiot._

Albert drifts off a few minutes later, and Race sends a text to Jack, Finch, and Jojo. 

**From Race:**  
_Thanks for checking on Al_  
_He’s fine_  
_He’s home_  
_Everything’s ok_  
_Probably tell you more later_

Jack responds almost immediately. 

**From Jack:**  
_Glad everyone’s ok  
let me know if you need anything_

Jojo sends a thumbs up. 

**From Finch:**  
_Tell him to call me_

**From Race:  
** _He’s asleep right now but I’ll tell him when he wakes up._

Finch sends a thumbs up, and Race puts his phone back on the nightstand. 

It’s not perfect. They still have a lot to talk about, and Race still isn’t sure where Spot stands, but right now? This is pretty good. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> me: *trying desperately to regurgitate everything I know about healthy relationships and having healthy arguments so that everyone's feels are vaild and no one is in the wrong*  
> And look, I know Spot is being a little hot and cold, but I promise I have a reason  
> and I know that Elmer wasn't really in this chapter, but it's fairly early in the morning and the poor boy needs his SLEEP
> 
> Things that were cut out when I switched POVs: Albert sleeping on the roof, his elderly neighbor letting him in, her confusing him with Elmer and then getting all four of them mixed up, Albert eating real food instead of a weirdass smoothie  
> that being said, I hc Albert casually eating weird/gross things so hard
> 
> Stay Safe  
> Wear a Mask  
> Just because you're ALLOWED to do something, doesn't mean it's particularly Safe or a Good Idea  
> Take care of your Mental Health  
> This is NOT the End of the World  
> Thing will get Better  
> You're doing such a Good Job  
> I'm so Proud of you


	5. Spot Isn't Great At Feelings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Spot needs to learn how to communicate :/

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry guys, I just havent been as in to Newsies recently, and this specific fic has been fighting me every step of the way, but at least it hasn't been six months this time!

Spot’s excited. Maybe he had been hesitant about having kids when they first came up, but then he started thinking about it, now he _really_ wants kids. So when Race said he was pregnant, Spot had to start preparing right away. 

Of course, when he thought about having kids he’d wanted to adopt like Medda did with him and his siblings, but the monkey part of his brain is excited to have a little version of Race running around. They could adopt later if they wanted more kids. 

Spot spent hours last night plotting out a layout to change their spare room into a nursery. He’d almost called Jack to ask if he’d be willing to paint a mural on one of the walls like he’d done for his own nursery, but when he’d taken his phone out he’d realized that it was well past midnight. The reminder of the time had fatigue settling over him quickly, and it took all his remaining energy to slip quietly back into the bedroom without waking his three soulmates. He thinks he might have failed that part, but it’s all a little hazy, he was tired. 

Now he’s on his way to the garage to work on what’s about to be his new car. A minivan might be a few steps down from his muscle car, but it’s considerably better for someone with kids, especially someone with three soulmates and a kid. This minivan has been sitting in Hot Shot’s garage for a few months, Hot Shot has been intending to fix it up and sell it, but he hadn’t had the time yet, so when Spot called him asking to buy it, Hot Shot gave it to him for cheap. 

_“It needs some work,”_ Hot Shot had told him over the phone. _“But I doubt you’ll have a problem with it.”_

“Hey, Conlon!” Myron calls as soon as Spot sets foot in the garage. “I hear ya bought the soccer mom car, what’s up?”

“None a ya business, beanstalk,” Spot snarks. He’s not really sure when it’s appropriate to tell people that you’re expecting, but he’s certain they should tell family before coworkers - even if those coworkers were like family. 

“Do my ears deceive me?” Graves yells from across the garage. “Or is _The_ Spot Conlon trading in his beloved Brooklyn, for a Karen?”

“Ain’t trading Brooklyn for nobody,” Spot replies with a roll of his eyes. Clearly he won’t be getting rid of nosy coworkers anytime soon. “Just getting’ a second car.”

“Uh huh,” Graves nods, sharing an unconvinced look with Myron. “And you want your second car to be a Karen?”

“Whatcha need two cars for if you’re the only one who can drive?” Myron adds. 

Graves isn’t any taller than Spot himself, but Myron is just a few inches shy of Hot Shot, and more than capable of looming over Spot. Graves makes up for what she lacks in height with the ability to seemingly stare straight into your soul. 

“Elmer can drive,” Spot mutters, more to prove a point than anything. Yes, Elmer _can_ drive, but that doesn’t mean anyone ever wants to be in the car with him. 

“Uh huh.” Both of them continue to stare at him, but Spot stubbornly pushes past them. He doesn’t owe them any explanations. If he wants to own a Karen car, then he sure as hell is going to buy a Karen car. 

They don’t follow him, which is a blessing in itself seeing as Graves is almost as stubborn as him, and Myron will do just about anything to avoid starting a task. 

The van isn’t in the _worst_ shape. It needs new tires, and several parts need replacing, but a lot of the work it needs is cosmetic. There are some dents that need to be ironed out, the upholstery is grody, and it’s in desperate need of a new paint job. Lucky, dents and paint jobs are right up Spot’s alley. He’ll need someone else to do the upholstery, but both Myron and Kenny are pretty good at it, and they both owe him a favor. 

“Seriously, I can’t imagine you drivin’ a minivan.” Hot Shot approaches him while he’s in the middle of checking that everything on the dashboard works. “It’s like trying to imagine Kenny bein’ mad, or Vinnie with a decent haircut.”

“Yeah well, I just figured we needed more space,” Spot answers while trying to switch the headlights on. “Do ya think the bulbs are out, or is the wirin’ faulty?”

“Must be the bulbs,” Hot Shot says, circling to the front of the car. “I redid the wirin’ myself.”

“Then I’d definitely better check it,” Spot jokes. 

“Hey! That was one time!” Hot Shot protests. “And I did that on purpose!”

Right, cuz everyone wants their AC to be switched with their radio.” Hot Shot doesn’t have a comeback for that so he just glares. 

Spot continues his work on the car, peripherally aware that Hot Shot hasn’t left yet. 

“So, surrogate or adoptin’?” Hot Shot asks suddenly. 

“What? I don’t- what?” _Way to go, Spot, that was very coherent. He won’t be suspicious now._

“Oh c’mon, Spotlight!” Graves yells as she pops up on the other side of the van. “It’s so obvious!”

“You’ve made your BFs squeeze into the backseat of Brooklyn for years, if you wanted a new car for the four of you, you coulda gotten an SUV,” York adds, popping up behind Graves. 

“So obviously you needed a bigger car than that,” Vinnie says, waggling his eyebrows suggestively. 

_Apparently it’s ‘Harass Spot Day’,_ Spot thinks as all of his coworkers appear to have been hovering close by, waiting for this conversation. 

“So,” Hot Shot says again, smirking. “Surrogate or adoptin’?”

“Maybe I have another soulmate,” Spot mutters petulantly, focusing on the steering wheel so he doesn’t have to see the smug looks on his coworkers faces. 

“You wouldn’t have come in today if you found another soulmate,” Kenny points out. 

“Yeah this van says ‘I have time before I need more space’,” Graves points out. “Not ‘help, there’s suddenly five of us!’”

“C’mon, Spot! We’re dyin’ over here!” Myron whines. 

“How can you be sure it’s for me?” Spot asks. He knows stalling really isn’t going to get him anywhere, but he’d wanted to wait longer before telling the guys. 

_“Spooooot!”_ York whines. 

“Dude, just tell us if you’re adoptin’ or using a surrogate!” Graves complains.

“How would a surrogate even work?” Vinnie wonders. “Do you pick whose sperm you’re using? Or do you like, mix it together?”

“Dude!”

“Ew!”

“What the _fuck_ Vin?”

Graves covers her ears, Kenny covers his eyes, and Hot Shot throws a dirty rag at Vinnie. Spot rubs his temple to stave off the headache he can feel building. 

“Hey Spot!” Bart - apparently the only person at the garage who _didn’t_ feel like harassing Spot today - calls from across the garage. “Elmer’s here.”

“Tell him I’ll be right there!” Spot calls to him before turning a threatening figure at each of his coworkers. “And you guys can fuck off.”

Someone blows a raspberry at him, but he’s already walking away. 

Spot grabs a loose rag off one of the tool carts on his way out and tries to clean as much grease off his hands as he can. 

Elmer’s waiting for him outside the garage. He’s leaning against the wall and trying to look casual, but Spot’s known him long enough that he can tell when Elmer’s stressed. It’s in the way he keeps pulling his phone out just to put it back in his pocket, then do it all again moments later. 

“Hey, El,” Spot calls, causing Elmer to stop fidgeting with his phone and look up. “I wasn’t expectin’ ya to come by. What’s up?”

“I thought you didn’t have work today?” That’s clearly not what's bothering him, but Spot answers anyway. 

“Technically I’m not on the job, I’m workin’ on a personal project.” 

“Yeah, Race said something about that.” Elmer nods and goes back to fidgeting with his phone, bouncing anxiously on his toes. 

Spot watches for a minute before deciding to try to address whatever was bothering his soulmate so much. “What’s wrong?”

“Areyoumad?” Elmer blurts out quickly. 

Spot stares at him for a minute before his brain finally catches up. 

“Why would I be mad?” He asks, thoroughly confused. What was there to be mad about? He’s pretty sure nothing happened earlier other than Race and Albert eating something disgusting (an unfortunately common occurrence). 

“About-about the pregnancy?” Elmer explains hesitantly. 

“You think I’m mad because Race is pregnant?” Spot asks incredulously. 

“Aren’t you?” Elmer replies, looking just as confused as Spot feels. 

“No?”

“...”

“...”

“I think it’s time for the four of us to have a grown-up conversation.” Elmer sighs. “Too many miscommunications the past few days.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anyway, Spot's bad at feelings. I based his reaction a little off of Jackson from Gilmore Girls  
> Also, since Albert left the apartment after Spot went into the guest room (future nursery), and because Spot was very sleepy, he doesn't realize that Albert wasn't in bed with Elmer and Race  
> Spot's muscle car is named Brooklyn
> 
> Stay Safe  
> Wear a Mask  
> Wash your Hands  
> Make time for your Mental Health Needs  
> Enjoy the Spoopy Season Responsibly  
> I'm Proud of You  
> and Not to be too political, but to quote Michael Che, "I wish [President Shithead] a very lengthy recovery" *smirk*  
> the HORSE is IN the HOSPITAL


	6. Soulmates

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello friends! This is the last chapter of this fic, but don't worry, the next instalment in this series is going to be a collection of one-shots all relating to the pregnancy and the baby (this is so I don't have to write things chronologically), so if you're looking forward to meeting the baby make sure you subscribe to the series.

“Now I’m sure you’re all wondering why I called you all here today,” Race says after five minutes of tense silence. 

Elmer brought Spot home five minutes ago saying they needed to have a ‘grown-up discussion’, so Race sat on one end of the couch, Albert took the other end, Spot took the armchair, and Elmer is hovering nervously between Race and Spot, completing their square. 

No one replies, so Race just continues. “So, babies. How do we feel?”

More silence. 

“Well I’m having one, and if anyone has concerns, then we should talk about them now, and not later when the baby’s here.”

Still nothing. 

“Ok, Albert,” Albert startles from where he’d been staring at his hands. “How do you feel?”

“Concerned that I’d be a bad dad,” he answers. 

“That’s stupid,” Spot comments. 

“Okay, Spot, I don’t think the best method here is calling Albert’s concerns ‘stupid’, let’s try to be constructive here,” Elmer says calmly. “Al, I think you’ll be a great dad, and you’re not going to be doing it alone. There’s four of us, it takes a village.”

“Thanks,” Albert murmured. “And I _do_ want to raise a kid with you guys, I’m just nervous about it.”

“And we'll do everything in our power to make you feel less nervous,” Race says, grabbing one of Albert's hands and squeezing it reassuringly. “Ok, Spot, how do _you_ feel?”

“I’m excited,” Spot states. He doesn’t sound excited, and his expression isn’t excited, but there’s a certain glint in his eye that Race _knows_ means he’s internally jumping for joy. 

“Really?” Albert questions. “Because you didn’t say anything last night, you just went into the guest room and slammed the door.”

“No, I said I was excited to be a dad and that I was going to go measure the guest room,” Spot objects. 

“ _No,_ you didn’t say _anything,”_ Race informs him. 

“You literally just sat there for a minute then went to the guest room without saying anything,” Elmer agrees. 

“Are you sure?” Spot asks, brow furrowed in confusion. 

_“Yes!”_ His three soulmates answer at once. 

“Oh… I thought I said something,” Spot mutters, pouting at the coffee table. “I thought I told you how happy I was.”

“You didn’t,” Elmer says gently. “But it’s good to hear that you’re happy about the pregnancy.”

“You said you measured the guest room?” Race asks to make Spot stop pouting. 

“Oh, yeah!” Spot immediately perks up. “Wait here, I’ll go get my notebook!”

“Okay… so we’re all on the same page now?” Race asks while Spot’s away. 

“We’re not on the same paragraph,” Albert says. “But we’re on the same page.”

“Good!” Elmer smiles, taking a seat between Race and Albert on the couch. “Love you guys!”

“Love you, too, Elly.” Race places a kiss on Elmer’s cheek before curling into his side. 

Albert hums happily, taking Elmer’s hand in his own. 

“Okay, here’s the rough outline I drew up,” Spot says, coming back into the living room with a notebook that had a schematic of the guest room. “Sorry it’s not totally straight, I didn’t have a ruler, only a measuring tape.”

The schematic was a complete reimagining of the guest room with a crib and a changing table and other nursery furnishings drawn in. Everything was labeled with length width and height, even the window and door. 

“The furniture measurements are just a rough estimate based on the size of Jack’s stuff, but I figured it’d be close enough to- what?”

All three were staring at him with varying degrees of awe.

“I adore you,” Race informs him. 

“Um… thanks?”

“You’re the dumbest person I’ve ever met,” Race continues. “And I absolutely adore you.”

“I’m- I don’t- um,” Spot sputters, unsure if he should be insulted or flattered.

“Shut up and cuddle with us,” Albert says, letting go of Elmer’s hand so Spot can squeeze between them. 

Spot wastes no time settling onto the couch with his back leaning into Elmer’s side, and his legs thrown over Albert’s lap. 

“So… we’re good?” Elmer asks, throwing one arm around Spot to play with Albert’s hair, and wrapping the other around Race. 

“Yeah,” Race answers, perfectly content. He smiles as Albert reaches around their soulmates to hold his hand, and nuzzles even further into Elmer’s side. “We’re good.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote this whole thing yesterday when I realized this kid is going to have FOUR dads and they can't just refer to them all as "dad"  
> Currently I'm thinking dad/daddy, papa/pop, baba, and tata. "Tata" is polish/yiddish for dad (according to Google translate), so that'll be Elmer, I'm not sure about everyone else and feel free to leave other suggestions)  
> It'd be funny for Spot to be called "mom". Like just imagine the kid telling their teacher or someone that their mom is coming to get them and Spot shows up  
> Also definitely feel free to leave suggestions on baby names, or plots for baby-related one-shots (this includes suggestions for Katherine, Jack, and Davey's baby) either here or on tumblr
> 
> Stay Safe  
> Wear a Mask  
> Don't be Stupid  
> Thank you everyone who voted in the election  
> I love you All

**Author's Note:**

> I have no idea how long this is going to end up being, it might be one more chapter, it might be five  
> who knows, man


End file.
